Orono soccer beats Stearns in thrilling regional championship sport
The undefeated Crimson Riots and No. 3 Stearns Minutemen performed an absolute thriller of a regional title sport on Saturday night time, with Orono outlasting its upstart rival from Millinocket 58 to 40 for its second consecutive state championship berth.
It was additionally the second consecutive 8-man small North championship contested between Orono and Stearns/Schenck, whose rivalry was cemented after a chippy 30-8 victory for Orono again in Week 2. Since then, either side had totally dominated the Little Ten Convention, successful out by common margins of greater than 30 factors every.
After Orono constructed a 28-6 lead early within the second quarter, it appeared like enterprise as normal till Stearns wakened.
Within the closing sixty seconds proper earlier than halftime, Stearns’ Lucas Pelkey and Caden Raymond every scored touchdowns to chop the result in 34-28. Orono hadn’t given up greater than 18 factors to a single opponent all season.
Popping out of the break, Orono and Stearns continued to commerce blows till the boys in maroon lastly pulled away within the fourth quarter. A 50-yard bomb from quarterback Jack Brewer to huge out Will Francis — coupled with a pressured turnover on downs on protection, arrange Will’s older brother Ben to ice it with 1:48 remaining.
“It feels proper,” Ben Francis mentioned after the postgame award ceremony. “We knew precisely what it takes to get right here. We put within the work all summer season lengthy.”
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